I've been thinking about getting this book myself, and from what I'm reading on this thread, it sounds like the way to go. I know I need to concern myself w/financing, overhead, licensing, marketing, branding, etc...and the partners I am working with seem to a have good handle on these issues. I would rather concern myself with making great beer and gaining intimate knowledge of commercial equipment. So I'm thinking of skipping out on this new publication for now so I can spend my money on the operations manual. Amazon also has Palmer's "Water" and Jamil's "Yeast" both for $11 right now, and I think they would be extremely valuable for me to read.

I doubt they'd have any serious disagreements. It's more that How to Brew was written a decade ago and is well out of date in its treatment of alkalinity in the mash.

Well, no, because myself and others have raised those concerns with Mr. Palmer within the last year, and he still seems to think his spreadsheet is a valuable tool for homebrewers. On that point, I have voiced my immense disagreement. Here was a thread from a while ago, for anyone that missed it:http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=11944.0

The long and short of it is, I'll wait for a detailed review of the topics covered before I'll consider plopping down money for a copy.

Edit: I want to make clear, my main problem with Mr. Palmer's approach to water is he never actually said how/why he came up with the RA numbers he recommends. I asked him directly if it was based on his own empirical evidence, professional brewing literature, or some other source, and he ignored my question. To me, that sounds like it's just his WAG, and I have a very hard time taking him seriously on that topic, or any other. YMMV.

Currently reading this and wanted to share just my initial impression. Dick Cantwell just may be the best writer, writing about beer that I have come across. His writing style and talent leaves all others I have read in the dust. He manages to make the Guide to Starting Your Own Brewery read like a thoughtful novel at times and a memoir at others. The information isn't laid out in a this is the way to do it sense, it is presented in a manner to evoke thought and contemplation of your own; to take and apply how you see fit.

I just finished it myself and I completely agree with you. The only criticism I have, and I'm splitting hairs here, is he sometimes uses words that are a little too complicated than they need to be. It's as if he's so passionate about the the topic, he gets a little nostalgic and let's his mind wander a bit. Certainly doesn't detract from the subject matter though. Great read.